Fashion: Simone Rocha and Levi's collaborate with Cros clogs

Footwear brand Crocs is once again in fashion, collaborating with major fashion movers and shakers.

This September, British fashion designer Simone Rocha featured bejewelled Crocs in her SS24 collection show during London Fashion Week.

Simone Rocha and Crocs collaboratively explore the creative juxtaposition of femininity and utilitarianism to bring life to new designs that join up both brands' DNA and aesthetic embracing the  unexpected. The collaboration consists of three Crocs styles reimagined with signature Simone Rocha pearls, crystal and jet beading, some with inbuilt Simone Rocha embellished socks. 

Now jeans and clothing brand Levi’s is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its 501 jeans by collaborating with Crocs in a capsule collection that emphasizes self-expression and versatility, combining both comfort and style.

The three-piece range from the Croc x Levi’s collection draws inspiration from traditional Japanese craftsmanship and denim artistry, featuring an updated version of the classic Crocs’ All-Terrain Clog.  Each pair is wrapped with a tie-dye printed denim inspired by Japanese Shibori dyeing technique  and Sashiko stitchng - a traditional Japanese embroidery technique, and a red contrast sole. In tribute to Levi's iconic jeans, a Red Tab can be found on each right shoe, along with Levi's button shank hardware.  There are also eight custom-made Jibbitz charms inspired by Levi's archives: '60s counterculture and archival Levi’s graphics' for wearers' own customisation.

The Levi’s x Crocs collection is available online and in select Levi stores as well as on Crocs’ site and wholesale partners.

Global Footwear Awards 2021 is inviting footwear designers across the globe to showcase their best work

The LA-based Global Footwear Awards (GFA) is now accepting submissions before the early bird deadline closes on July 26th, 2021.

On a mission to uncover visionary design talents, both established and student designers are invited to submit their most innovative and game-changing designs.

The GFA recognizes visionary design talent from around the worlsdd with an ambition to provide the highest recognition to footwear designers in all footwear divisions, from Fashion to Sports. Entries are evaluated at three different levels: Brands, Independent Designers and students, in order to provide a fair opportunity to each level.

Hodei_club by Benjamin Thomas
Category winner in Ethical Manufacturing 
No glue / No-sew / Limited materials / Easy to disassemble or repair / Simple to Recycle

According to Hossein Farmani, president of International Design Awards (IDA), sister company to GFA, the Global Footwear Awards honours the best in the industry, addressing creativity, innovation, sustainability and social impact.

“We, at International Design Awards (IDA), are very excited to create an awards specifically for footwear design as we see a tremendous design potential within this field. I see a fast-growing momentum of young footwear talents that truly deserve global recognitions. There are many great works that bridges art, footwear and technology together, which is extremely exciting”, said Hossein Farmani, International Design Awards (IDA) president. 

The GFA Jury Panel consists of leading international professionals from different disciplines within the footwear industry, including renowned footwear professionals, major publications, retailers and institutions. Judges will particularly be on the lookout for extraordinary designers who are producing coveted and exceptional creations.

"The special part of the Global Footwear Awards is the way we evaluate designs, not by popularity, but through the lens of cross-disciplinary professionals, with a long experience within the footwear industry. The winning designs will truly make a mark and set examples of what true innovation and sustainability means in the footwear industry”, added Siramol On-Sri, GFA Director.

The Global Footwear awards also honours strategic thinking and innovative solutions to medical footwear, sustainability and social impact to inspire many more social responsibility projects to come. 

Here are some of their jury’s words:

“Having judged the awards and really investigated what each brand/trainer was about, it was so great to see a dedication to sustainability and ethical practices on so many fronts. It's one thing designing and manufacturing great-looking shoes, but to do so and achieve a high-level of sustainable awareness at the same time is applaudable.” Zak Maoui, British GQ Style Editor.

“Apart from enjoying the variety in creativity I was most happy to see that more and more designers start to think of footwear as an area to tackle socio-political issues and so plays a part in taking the discipline beyond only reproducing styles of fashion, and playing with technology, and engaging with real-life issues.” Eelko Moorer, London College of Fashion MA footwear course leader.

The Global Footwear Awards aims to celebrate their exceptional creations at a global level, while honouring sustainable practices that will inspire the industry as a whole.  

For more information, click HERE.  

Brazilian brand Havaianas presents six Mediterranean themed flip-flops with three designers

Warm summer months conjure up images of loose casual dressing and airy footwear.  Nothing is more summer than slipping on a pair of flip-flops and enjoying time in the sun.

Among my favourite pass-times is lazying around the pool or kicking up sand along beaches in a pair of Havainans, the go-to Brazilian brand for stylish flip-flops.  They are always packed in my holiday bag for destinations around the world.

Now I hear Havaianas have launched a special project called Local Soul whereby local artists in 3 Mediterranean destinations, notably Ibiza, Tel Aviv and Mykonos, are given the opportunity to use Havaianas as a canvas to showcase their design and inspiration.

The brand will also be taking over a beach venue in each place for the whole summer to bring a touch of Brazil to the Mediterranean, with a special music session each week, and one very special headline event in each location over the summer.

All 3 locations have been chosen because of their vibrant landscapes and atmosphere, their beach location and their cool vibes.

Each of the artists brings a different art form and take on the project to showcase the three destinations.

Rafi Perez from Tel Aviv, a native of this city and is known for his colourful artworks focusing on the city itself and the lively LGBTQ community who live and visit the city, present landscapes of the city in vibrant colours.  His designs are shown above and here on the left.

Athenian Marina Vernicos, however, takes her photographic inspiration from the beauty of Mykonos whose seascapes, architecture and landscape all serve as muses for her work. Her works are shown here on the right and below.

Finally, fashion and textile designers of the World Family Ibiza who focus on embroidery play on the warmth of the island and the iconic xyz rock as seen from the beach where Alok and Merel first met over 30 years ago.   Their designs are shown on the right and below.

The 6 pairs of Havaianas  flip-flops (2 per location - all shown here) are only available to buy from selected retailers in either Ibiza, Tel Aviv or Mykonos – so if you are lucky enough to be visiting these special places over the summer one of these could be an exclusive souvenir of your trip!

Havaianas has been producing flip-flops in Brazil since 1962.

‘RD x California Girls’ debut Collection from the Rocket Dog

Casual footwear brand Rocket Dog has launched a collaboration collection with LA celebrity stylist Chloe Bartoli.  ‘RD x California Girls’ Collection is designed to extend the Rocket Dog brand and ethos of Forever-California-Cool, with an influential millennial twist.

Chloe Bartoli has taken Rocket Dog's classic 'Big Top' platform sandal and added a rock n roll vibe to it.  

“I am beyond excited to collaborate with Rocket Dog! Growing up, if you didn’t have a pair of Rockets Dogs’ in high school, you were definitely not part of the cool crowd.  I decided to make my collection a little bit more masculine than what they generally design! Instead of designing pieces that were more on the feminine side like Rocket Dog‘s classic platform sandal, I decided to take the platform and add a more rock ‘n’ roll/punk vibe to the collection.” says Chloe Bartoli.

 With each collection debut under the ‘RD x California Girls’ umbrella, Rocket Dog partners with a new visionary from the fashion world, which Chloe Bartoli perfectly exemplifies as their debut collaborator.

The new Rocket Dog collection offers a perpetually fresh range, that is targeted to maintain interest and excitement among the Gen Z and millennial customer.

“The collection will pulse fresh micro-trends, direct from the runway, mixing in inspiration from the millennial web and the streets. It is very important that the styles are varied for universal wear across geographic regions, while attracting new millennials and Gen-Zers along with Rocket Dog loyalists. Everyone loves California cool. It is a universal love.” says Cathy Taylor, CEO of Millennial Brands.
Rocket Dog gained popularity in the ‘90s for its trendsetting platform sandals and stacked footwear, and now emerges with this new collection perfectly timed to the re-emergence of this resurrected fashion era and footwear statement.
Images: Rocket Dog

The time for classic brogue detailing has come. See O.W.L.'s new Limited Edition watches.

In terms of footwear, nothing can be more British and classic than the Brogue, a style of sturdy leather shoes traditionally associated with business attire and now widely worn with casual wear and jeans.

Jude Antique Tan Brogues 

The Hamble Oak from Clarks has got great reviews.

 According to Wikipedia, brogues (derived from the Old Irish bróg) is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or broguing) and serration along the pieces' visible edges.

Jude Antique Tan Brogues by Agnes & Norman

available on Notonthehighstreet.

And with the return to British-made or designed sentiments, "broguing" is a detailing widely adopted not only in modern footwear but for lifestyle fashion elsewhere.

British watch brand O.W.L. is one such brand that has been adopting the brogue detailing for its new ranges, including the limited edition Caterbury, which is being launched in September.

The latest addition features a 33mm diameter stainless steel case with layered sun ray dial featuring 3 working sub dials combining day, date and 24 hour functions.  The dial is encased underneath a vintage inspired domed lens.

The premium leather straps are made by layering 3 layers of soft, cut leathers and stitching together to form delicate Brogue detail. Note also the two-colour detailing in the new Canterbury watches.
How cool is that?

The brogue detailing on leather straps was first used in
O.W.L. 's Belfast range launched earlier this year SS15.

The O.W.L. brand was founded by Annett Alan who draws inspiration from British Heritage for her collections.

Sandals for the Hot Summer

Thank goodness for the hot weather we are having in London this week. As the temperature continues to climb, it's time to show off our favourite summer footwear. And what better way to cool off our feet than flat sandals and cool slides.

Just recently launched are these new light-weight single strap sandals from Birkenstock available in white and black, in keeping with the current Monocrhome trend.  

Classic Birkenstock's Madrid EVA sandals come in Black and White in keeping with the Monocrhome trend.

Made in an ultra light vinyl acetate material and are 100% waterproof, these are great for going to the seaside or lounging by the pool.  Weighing only 130 grams they are ideal for taking on holiday.   With adjustable straps and shock absorbing EVA soles, they are very comfortable to wear.

Both "Madrid EVA" colours are available on Birkenstock website.

Meanwhile at British shoe brand Clarks are these lovely "Tres Chic" sandals for their new take on classic styling for a truly British summer.

Clarks' Romantic Moon 

Clarks' Sharna Balcony

Clarks' Studio Punch decorated with jewel stones.

All styles available on the Clarks website.

Photos of CLARKS shoes by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.